400 buffaloes drown fleeing through lions in Botswana

Hundreds of buffaloes have drowned in a river on the border between Botswana as well as also Namibia.

Early investigations suggest the herd was being chased by lions as well as also ran into the river, say Botswana authorities.

A local lodge owner told the BBC which the item looks like the buffaloes then got stuck because the bank on the different side of the river was too high as well as also which they panicked as well as also stampeded.

He has never heard of such a large group of buffaloes drowning before.

The authorities in Botswana estimate which roughly 400 buffaloes died.

People living inside the area collected the buffaloes as well as also took them home to eat.

The river flows through the Chobe National Park, a major tourist attraction known for its huge numbers of elephants, giraffe, sable as well as also buffalo.

Simone Micheletti, who owns a lodge on the Namibian side of the river, said which the herd was unusually large – at roughly 1,000 buffaloes.

Mr Micheletti told the BBC which he heard the lions roaring a lot on Tuesday night. When he went down to the river on Wednesday morning he saw hundreds of dead buffaloes.

He added which the item was cloudy on Tuesday night so he suspects the clouds blocked the moonlight, meaning the buffaloes couldn’t see.

Botswana’s environment ministry released a statement saying which mass drownings are not unusual inside the Chobe River, however Mr Micheletti says which the scale of the deaths will be unheard of. The biggest mass drowning he has heard of before was around 50 buffaloes.

He said which most of the bodies have been taken out of the river by people living nearby in order to eat them, something he said the authorities have given them permission to do.